Category: Places

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Life is Good in Costa Rica!

Things are good in Costa Rica with a very stable democracy and a wonderful and progressive new president and we are the first country in the Americas to elect a black woman as Vice President! 

Ths and other things are discussed in my San Ramon retiree friends’ newsletter and in this edition they reprint their list of reasons for retiring in Costa Rica. I think you might enjoy it at link below.

Retire for Less in Costa Rica NEWSLETTER Current Edition:
http://retireforlessincostarica.com/retire-for-less-in-costa-rica-may-12-2018/

I basically finished my photo book on Arenal Observatory Trip today, but need to double check it and then wait for Blurb to announce a sale. In the meantime check out my TRIPS GALLERY on this trip to Arenal Observatory Lodge. 

And I now look forward to my June visit to Boca del Toro, Panama on an island in the Western Caribbean, my first trip of 7 days since moving here. More time means not only seeing and doing more but more relaxation!

¡Pura Vida!


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My Room at Arenal Observatory

This view from my room is the most memorable part of the lodge room. See More Volcano Shots
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
I had to be laying down on the bed to have the view inside, but outside is “in your face”
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
My one selfie was with the volcano, here on the dining room deck
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
The two side windows looked out on the Restaurant Deck and the lake 
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

This side view was also beautiful and where I caught the sunsets. (link to sunset photos)
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Also where other hotel guests assembled before meals & for volcano & lake photos + bird feeders
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

At about 5 pm each day one or two of the La Fortuna Expedition buses brought a crowd
of mainly young adult backpackers for volcano, lake & sunset photos before their group dinner here
and then return to their less expensive lodging after a day of whitewater, rappelling, zip lining, etc.
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
The first two days the maids left towel animals on my bed
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

See My Room Gallery for more photos of the room.
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
AND the bird feeders were also next to my room’s deck!

Great Curassow male at fruit feeder by my room deck   
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Great Curassow female at fruit feeder by my room deck  
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Montezuma Oropendola at fruit feeder by my room deck  
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica


COSTA RICA NEWS:

Women elected to 5 of 6 leadership roles in Costa Rica’s new legislature
An online article in Tico Times.

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Arenal Tropical Flowers & Plants

This is just a small sampling of many more photos in Arenal Observatory trip gallery:
Flowers & Tropical Plants. Arenal Observatory Lodge grounds are a Botanical Gardens!

Arenal Observatory Lodge

 
¡Pura Vida!
 
 
-o-

And if you like tropical plants but live “up north,” check out how you can go tropical in your house, year-around, 16 Tropical Plants to Grow Indoors. A reader wrote and suggested this.

Top 10 Most Welcoming Countries for Expats
An online article by Expat Organization InterNations
They put Costa Rica at #6. 

 
 
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Eye Level with Monkeys!

Mantled Howler Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Mantled Howler Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Mantled Howler Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Mantled Howler Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Mantled Howler Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Mantled Howler Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Mantled Howler Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Mantled Howler Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Mantled Howler Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Central American Spider Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Central American Spider Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Ri

“The Nest” Observation Tower
From which all these monkey shots were made.
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Ri

To learn more about Mantled Howler Monkeys  with videos at Arkive.org

To learn more about Spider Monkeys at Wikipedia
To learn more about Arenal Observatory Lodge Costa Rica at their website
I highly recommend this lodge for whatever your experience with nature will be!
Great location! Great facilities! Great services! Great experiences & vistas!

I am posting this Friday morning before I leave Arenal for my wonderful home in Atenas. It is always good to get back home after a trip, but it seems like every trip is getting better and I continue my “yearn to travel Costa Rica!” And this place is a new favorite to which I plan to return. This year’s trip-a-month includes about 4 repeats and the rest new places. See the map of this year’s trips or another map of places visited before this year. 



¡Pura Vida!

And My Photo Gallery for this Trip is being added to daily while on the trip! 
There you can see all the birds together, etc. plus photos not on the blog.


And for more about Costa Rica, see this Tico Times article What to do in Costa Rica in May and June  from many concerts and festivals to a chocolate tasting! 
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Last Day in this Paradise – Arenal Observatory

A sign in the lodge property that is my motto for travels all over Costa Rica.
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Variable Seedeater male
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

I tried again this morning and will again this afternoon and tomorrow morning, but have not found

my two target bird, Bare-necked Umbrella Bird and Yellow-eared Toucanet which I have a lousy dark photo of from Tenorio National Park, but I really want a good photo of one! Both birds are supposed to be here but you can never guarantee a find! As of Tuesday afternoon I do have photos of 27 different species of birds and 5 of those are new photo-finds for me! So not bad! They are:

4. Gray-capped Flycatcher  (with a fly in his mouth)
5. Piratic Flycatcher

Links are to my photo of that bird on this trip. 

And the big treat for today was monkeys! I went back to “The Nest” or observation tower at 4:00 PM and it was surrounded by both Howler Monkeys and a few Spider Monkeys, but I have 300 photos to go through and pick just a few for you in tomorrow’s post. So Expect monkeys tomorrow!   🙂
And now for tonight’s last sunset at Arenal for me: 
Sunset over Lake Arenal at Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!

And My Photo Gallery for this Trip is being added to daily while on the trip! 
There you can see all the birds together, etc. plus photos not on the blog.


Tomorrow morning at 11 AM I reluctantly leave Arenal for my return to Atenas. 
This is definitely one of my favorite getaway places, but then I have so many! 
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A Towering Experience Today!

The following 4 birds were photographed in treetops at eye level from “The Nest”
or the 92 ft tall metal tower on the lodge property. Amazing treetop experience!
Yellow-throated Toucan
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal National Park, Costa Rica

Collared Aracari (A type of Toucan)
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal National Park, Costa Rica

Keel-billed Toucan
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal National Park, Costa Rica

Red Lored Parrot
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal National Park, Costa Rica

“The Nest” or Birding Tower 92 ft tall — A Little Scary!
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal National Park, Costa Rica

Freddy is there 8 hours a day with locked gate to the tower. 
8 max people at a time including one staff member. Lots of warnings in English & Spanish.
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal National Park, Costa Rica
Top of the English Warning Sign  With long list of conditions below from pregnancy to vertigo!
There are 146 steps going up and down and the tower does sway with wind & people movement.
Today was my 2nd time up. Yesterday morning my birding guide took me up and we saw 0 birds! Nada!
This afternoon Freddy used recordings of toucan sounds to attract them to the surrounding treetops!
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal National Park, Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!

And My Photo Gallery for this Trip is being added to daily while on the trip! 
There you can see all the birds together, etc. plus photos not on the blog.

Sunset Behind the Clouds Tonight 
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal National Park, Costa Rica

And Scary Clouds at that! But No Rain! 
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal National Park, Costa Rica
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Waterfall & Bird Count Day

Danta Waterfall
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Crested Guan
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Great Curassow
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Montezuma Oropendola
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Green Honeycreeper female
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Mantled Howler Monkey
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Emerald Basilisk
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

One of the Lillies
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Hibiscus
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
Tonight’s Sunset Over Lake Arenal
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

And today was eBird’s “Global Big Day” of bird counting. Here is a link to my eBird List of 11 species seen here at Arenal Observatory Lodge. All of the birding guides here were out counting today which is why I could not have a guided bird hike today. I have one tomorrow.

¡Pura Vida!

And My Photo Gallery for this Trip is being added to daily while on the trip! A longer more leisurely trip makes this possible and my galleries are my main trip reports. Enjoy!
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First Half Day Hallelujah!

Yellow-throated Toucan Eating a Lizard
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

Male & Female Great Curassow 
 Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

Lineated Woodpecker 
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird 
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

Montezuma Oropendola 
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

Red-legged Honeycreeper, female & male 
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

Palm Tanager 
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

Blue-gray Tanager 
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

White-nosed Coati 
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

Arenal Volcano from my Lodge Room 
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

Sunset from my Room Deck 
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

What can I say? The photos are worth a thousand words and this was just after getting here at noon today and eating lunch first. It is a totally amazing place and instantly one of my favorites! And with another 4 and 1/2 days yet to go!

¡Pura Vida!

And My Photo Gallery for this Trip is being added to daily while on the trip! A longer more leisurely trip makes this possible and my galleries are my main trip reports. Enjoy!
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Day of the Book

This was April 27 and I missed posting because computer was down.
See or download these and a couple of more photos at my Day of the Book Photo Gallery
Atenas, Costa Rica

 

2018 Day of the Book
Atenas, Costa Rica

 

2018 Day of the Book
Atenas, Costa Rica

 

2018 Day of the Book
Atenas, Costa Rica

 

2018 Day of the Book
Atenas, Costa Rica

 

2018 Day of the Book
Atenas, Costa Rica

Tomorrow I leave for Arenal Observatory Lodge for 5 nights and I hope a lot of bird photos!  🙂

It is the red #5 on the map below or northwest of Atenas in north central Costa Rica. I will be inside the National Park in a forest at the base of the volcano with great views of it and Lake Arenal, considered one of the best windsurfing lakes in the world. A great week expected! (But not windsurfing!)   🙂
Map of planned trips for this year through February 2019
Clicking on image will make it a little bigger for easier reading.
There is so much to see and so many birds to photograph that it is hard to work them all in!   🙂
¡Pura Vida!
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Atenas for the rights of children and adolescents . . .

New Sign in Central Park  (UNICEF Project)
Translation:
Atenas: In our canton we work together for the rights of children and adolescents.
Note that Canton is like a County in the states. We are both the town & county of Atenas.
We are in the Province of Alajuela which is like a state to folks in the U.S.
Atenas, Costa Rica

And today something was happening in the park with school children, but I never found out what.
Atenas, Costa Rica
ATENAS
“Mejor Clima del Mundo”
“The best weather in the world”
¡Pura Vida!